Douglas Guthrie’s dissertation examines how Chinese firms respond to institutional change during the current period of economic transition in China. He interprets original data on Shanghai industrial organizations in terms of cutting-edge organizational theory. He finds that the institutional structure of the old command economy and a firm’s position in that structure affect the firm’s reform experience. As upper-level firms experience reforms, firm structure generally becomes more formal and bureaucratic, with changes partly aided by foreign investment. Guthrie’s dissertation makes sense of profound changes taking place in China. His carefully designed study addressed significant sociology and political issues with superb skill and his findings have provocative policy implications.

Guthrie is currently Assistant Professor Sociology at New York University. Recently, he has been award the William Davidson Visiting Professorship at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan in 1999.